Flexible screen



May 10, 1938. E. K. PILCHER 2,116,847

FEXIBLE S GREEN Filed July 20, 1936 IN VENTOR.

I /6 7 /76; er.

Patented May 10, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLEXIBLE SCREENApplication July 20, 1936, Serial No. 91,545

12 Claims.

This invention relates to a flexible screen formed of a plurality ofseparate sections hinged together. The separate sections may be formedfrom metal, plastics, or other suitable materials,

' and they may be conveniently and economically manufactured byextrusion.

A particular feature of the invention resides in the fact that certainof the hinged sections carry rod members which cooperate to form hingedjoints, and which extend laterally beyond the edges of the screensections and project into tracks which guide the movement of the screen.

In one form of the invention, the sections which carry the rod membersare entirely concealed, forming a screen having relatively smooth andattractive faces on both sides.

While preferred forms of the invention are disclosed herein for purposesof illustration, it should be understood that various changes may bemade without departing from the spirit of the invention as herein setforth and claimed.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a plan partly broken away of a screen embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of theinvention.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a View corresponding to Fig. 2 showing another form of theinvention.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross section showing an additionalmodification.

Referring to the drawing more specifically, the screen illustrated inFigs. 1 and 2 consists of alternate male sections Ill and femalesections II. Each male section ID has a body part I2 which, whileillustrated as being fiat, may be given any desired ornamental contour.The upper and lower edges of the body I2 are straight and carry rods I3projecting from one side of the body.

Each of the female sections II has a body I I, the upper and lower edgesof which are straight and carry semi-tubular members I5 projectinginwardly from the body I4. Each of the semitubular members I5 extendsfor more than 180 degrees around one of the rod members I3. Thecircumferential extent of each member I5 should be such as to secure afirm grip on the rod I3 that will prevent these parts from being easilyseparated. At the same time enough gap must be left in the semi-tubularmember I5 to permit the desired angular movement of the hinge formed bycooperating members I3 and I5. The extent of opening illustrated permitseach hinge to make a 90 degree bend as shown by the dotted lines in Fig.2.

The sections I I and I2 can be conveniently extruded in a continuouslength of material such as aluminum brass, plastics, etc. The extruded 5pieces are then cut into suitable lengths for the sections. After thesections II) have been cut to length their bodies I2 are cut back ateach end, leaving the rods I3 projecting as shown in Fig. 1. Alternatesections I0 and II are then assembled by sliding the semi-tubularmembers I5 over the rods I3.

The flexible screen thus formed can be assembled with suitable guiderails I6 engaging its opposite sides, each guide rail being providedwith a U-shaped channel into which the ends of rods I3 project. Thus theends of rods I3 moving in guides I6 hold the screen firmly againstlateral movement, and due to their round shape as well as theirspaced-part arrangement, present a minimum of frictional resistance asthey move in the guideways.

In the modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the screen is made up ofalternate sections I1 and I8. As clearly shown in Fig. 4 each of thesections I! has a body I9 curved in the direction in which the screen isadapted to bend, and which carries at its upper and lower edges rods 2 0which project toward the concave side of body I9 and which have theirouter surfaces forming a continuation of the curve of the convex side ofbody I9.

Each of the sections I8 has a body 2| which carries along its upper andlower edges semitubular members 22 adapted to partially surround rods 20carried by adjacent sections I I. The parts are so arranged that theedges of two sections I8 extend over and meet in front of a section IIwhen the screen is in a straight position, thereby completely hiding thesections II when the screen is viewed from the left-hand of Fig. 4.Similarly, from the right-hand of Fig. 4 the members I! are hidden bythe meeting of semi-tubular members 22 carried by the adjacent sectionsI8. Advantages of this particular form of the invention are that the rodsections do not show as protuberances, and it is possible to make thesections'II and I8 of diiferent materials, for example, making thesections I8 of aluminum and the sections I I of brass, thus reducing the50 friction while maintaining a uniform appearance from the exterior.

A further modification is illustrated in Fig. 5 in which all of thesections 23 are identical. Each of these sections carries along one edgea rod 24.

ber 25. The advantages of this construction are that only a single dieis needed to produce a screen having sections of a particular size, andthat since all of the sections are identical, they can be moreeconomically handled and assembled. Fig. 5 also shows that the rodmembers can be given the form of a hollow tube, as illustrated at 24'.

As illustrated in Fig. 6, some or all of the rods may have theirprojecting ends formed with grooves 26 into which extend flanges 21formed on the guide rails [6. With this arrangement the screen is fedinto the end of the guideway, and these parts are held positivelyagainst lateral displacement.

It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that theflexible screen disclosed herein can be adapted to a large number ofinstallations where it is desired to have a relatively strong anddurable screen that can be rolled or pushed away. Quite obviously, thescreen can be installed to roll either vertically or horizontally and itcan be made to negotiate a fairly sharp turn. Any of the forms of thescreen can be given a. suitable ornamental conformation or decoration,and it can be fabricated in any size from any suitable material orcombination of materials.

I claim:

1. A manufacture comprising a plurality of separate sections securedtogether by hinged joints, each of said hinged joints comprising a rodand a semi-tubular member, said rod being homogeneously united with oneof said sections and extending laterally beyond the ends of saidsections, guide means engaging the projecting ends of said rod, saidsemi-tubular member being homogeneously united with another of saidsections and partially surrounding said rod.

2. A manufacture as specified in claim 1 in which said semi-tubularmember extends around more than 180 degrees of the circumference of saidrod.

3. A manufactiue as specified in claim 1 in which the projecting ends ofthe rods are formed with grooves, and in which the guide means comprisesa pair of U-shaped tracks, each of said tracks carrying flanges whichextend into the grooves of the rods.

4. A manufacture comprising a plurality of separate sections securedtogether by hinged joints along straight contiguous edges, each of saidhinged joints comprising a rod homogeneously united with one of saidsections and a semitubular member homogeneously united with another ofsaid sections and partially surrounding said rod, a guide track on eachside of the screen, said rod members extending laterally beyond theedges of the screen sections and projecting into the guide tracks.

5. A manufacture as specified in claim 4 in which said guide tracks areof approximately U-shape.

6. A manufacture comprising a plurality of male sections alternatingwith a plurality of female sections each of said male sections havingrods homogeneously united along two opposite edges, said rods extendingbeyond the sides of said sections, guide means engaging the projectingends of said rod, each of said female members having semi-tubularmembers homogeneously united along two opposite edges, each semi-tubularmember partially surrounding one of said rods.

7. A manufacture as specified in claim 6 in which the male sections areformed of one material and the female sections are formed of a materialdifierent from, and having a low coefficient of friction with, saidfirst material.

8. The process of forming a flexible screen which comp-rises extrudinglengths having rods and semi-tubular members, cutting said lengths intosections with said rods projecting at the ends, and assembling thesections by sliding the semitubular members lengthwise over the rods.

9. A manufacture comprising a plurality of male sections alternatingwith a plurality of female sections, each of said male sectionscomprising a curved body having its outer surface formed on a continuousconvex curve, said male section carrying along each edge a rod memberprojecting inwardly toward the concave side of the body, each of saidfemale sections having semi-tubular members along opposite edges, eachsemi-tubular member surrounding one of said rods, each female memberhaving parts extending over the outer convex surfaces of the twoadjacent male members.

10. A manufacture comprising a plurality of male sections alternatingwith a plurality of female sections, each of said male sectionscomprising a curved body having its outer surface formed on a continuousconvex curve, said male section carrying along each edge a rod memberprojecting inwardly toward the concave side of the body, each of saidfemale sections having an inner face and an outer face, the edgesbetween said inner and outer faces being formed with semi-tubularmembers which partially surround rods of adjacent male sections, thesemi-tubular members of each female section contacting the correspondingmembers of adjacent female sections, the outer face of each femalesection extending part way over the outer convex surfaces of the twoadjacent male members, the outer faces of adjacent female sectionscontacting with each other when the sections are in straight alinement.

11. A manufacture comprising a plurality of male sections alternatingwith a plurality oi. female sections, each of said male sectionscomprising a curved body having rods homogeneously united therewithalong two opposite edges and projecting toward the concave side of saidbody, each of said female sections having semi-tubular membershomogeneously united therewith along two opposite edges, eachsemi-tubular member partially surrounding one of said rods, the male andfemale sections being of the same width, said rods extending beyond theends of said sections, and guide means engaging the extending ends ofsaid rods.

12. A manufacture comprising a plurality of separate sections, each ofsaid sections carrying a rod homogeneously united therewith along oneedge, and a semi-tubular member homogeneously connected therewith alongthe other edge and partially surrounding a rod carried by anothersection, said rods projecting laterally beyond the ends of the sections,and guide means engaging the projecting ends of said rods.

EDWARD K. PILCHER.

